Thursday, December 22, 2016

Kids love and miss their trucking parents

This is an equally wonderful and tough time of the year for
truck drivers. The distinction between the two for many depends on whether they
are going to be able to spend the holidays with friends or loved ones.

After all these years of covering the trucking industry, I
know how devout to family many of you are. For parents, it’s particularly hard
to miss so much of your children’s lives while you’re supporting your family and
out on the road doing a job that borders on thankless.

Some may wonder just how much of an effect a truck-driving
parent can have on kids. A lot is the answer. We hear it every year when we
read applications to the OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship Fund.

This year, I had the pleasure of meeting a driven young man
who was looking to complete his senior project to finish high school graduation
requirements. Kiernan loves trucking, and he has an interest in journalism. He
submitted a piece to Land Line that really
speaks to the connection that trucking parents have with their children, even
when they are out on the road.

It’s my honor to share Kiernan’s piece and hope that it
reminds you how special you are to your kids at home.

Moving ahead to the
next stage of my life, building on a foundation delivered by trucking

By Kiernan Huggins

“Quick! Spot me,” my dad directed. I hopped out of our 2001
W900 Kenworth with Diyo, our Jack Russell. The air brakes hiss and the
generators hum around me. I put a “stop” fist into the air, acknowledged my
growling stomach, and sprinted to beat him to the door of a truck stop boasting
“home cooked meals.”

“The final exam on Friday ...” My history teacher’s voice
snapped me back to the present in the classroom. I could almost taste that
juicy burger …

I’ve traveled for years with my dad, a “bedbugger,” moving
people across country. At first I missed my trucking dad, watching other kids
with theirs taking them fishing, attending their fourth grade band concerts, or
helping with the Boy Scouts’ Pinewood Derby.

As a teenager, trucking became miles of talk and beautiful
scenery, conversations with people from all walks of life, and innovative
“beds” made of straps and furniture pads to sleep in the “Kentucky motel” (the
trailer).

We rumbled up to a residence. “Good morning!” my dad
announces to the sleepy man approaching. Soon we were quickly wrapping
furniture, stacking boxes on dollies, and loading the truck.

An arthritic dog with sad eyes and an underbite whined at
the door.

Eager to help, I ruffle its hair and let it out. I glanced
at the man’s wife in her wheelchair. “Part of the job,” I told her. “Grab
this,” yells the experienced crewmember, motioning me to the end of a unique
sculpture, the next piece my dad needs to perfect his jigsaw puzzle-like load
so nothing shifts in transit.

When the crew sits down for a break, one of the guys shares
a story about his dad’s farm and another pulls out a picture of his new baby.
We build trust on every moving job and work well together. With a click of the
lock after securing the massive back doors on the trailer, we are off.

Pulling into the busy truck stop for the night, a basketball
court caught my eye. I ran over to pick up a ball. At first it was just me.
Little by little, truckers, travelers and other kids wandered over. Soon we
numbered 15, sprinting back and forth across the court, laughing and acting
like teams.

I realized that the basketball game we played perfectly
exemplified what made trucking so important to me. Our basketball game was full
of people with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, skills and interests,
as is the industry itself.

Back on campus, as I exit the math building, I hear the
unique rumble of a Jake brake as a truck heads through campus. I smile. In a
week another adventure will begin.

About the writer:

My name is Kiernan
Huggins, a high school senior living in coastal Maine. My father, Joe Huggins,
is an owner-operator working with Brooks Transfer and Storage, a United Van
Lines agent out of Virginia Beach, Va., moving families from coast to coast. I
have two older siblings, one a recent college graduate and another, an owner-operator
for Brooks also. When I'm not trucking with my dad, I enjoy competitive sports
such as soccer, basketball and lacrosse. I've also had the opportunity to
travel at a young age, going to seven different countries on four different
continents. In school, I'm finding I really like to write and how that might
lead me to a career in journalism.

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